World News - Man throws gas on Oregon churchgoers Two women suffer burns from fires set by ‘deranged’ suspect

A young man threatened a cab driver with a knife Wednesday night before bursting into a Salem church and setting fires that injured two older women, authorities said. One of the women, identified by a senior pastor as Arlene Anderson, suffered burns on her back and head and was taken to Salem Hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening. The other woman declined to go to the hospital. The cab driver had a slight neck wound, said Deputy Kevin Rau, spokesman for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect entered the church at about 7:30 p.m., just as a pastor was inviting those inside to greet each other. The Rev. Sam Miller, the assistant to the pastor, said the man was speaking nonsense and carrying what appeared to be gasoline. ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com

A wildfire swept through dry brush near Palm Springs early Thursday, threatening homes and businesses and forcing evacuations.The blaze had burned more than 800 acre within its first six hours, and 25 mph wind was quickly spreading the flames, said Becky Luther, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Fire Department.The fire was burning in a valley with a few scattered ranch homes, but the hamlets of Poppet Ranch and Twin Pines were evacuated along with a juvenile center, Twin Pines Boys Ranch. About 100 homes were ordered evacuated, police said."The biggest concern is if it gets over the hills," Luther said. "That's where all of the homes are."The ground cover is mostly grass and chaparral that burns hot and quick, allowing the fire to spread quickly but with little staying power, Luther said....http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/26/calif.fire.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us

America's elderly enjoy outsized influence in elections because they vote in greater numbers, but this year they've focused their clout on the Iraq war more than traditional concerns such as health and retirement benefits.Poll after poll shows the U.S. war is uppermost in the minds of the gray-haired legions as they help decide whether President George W. Bush's Republican Party will keep control of Congress in the November 7 election. "The war in Iraq; it upsets me terribly. I think we weren't told the truth," said 85-year-old Florence Feinstein, who recently skipped her afternoon card game to discuss Medicare prescription drug benefits with Democratic congressional representatives at a retiree center in Sunrise, Florida. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2607976

Fannie Mae and KV Pharmaceutical Co. are among U.S. stocks that may benefit from a victory by the Democratic Party in U.S. congressional elections on Nov. 7, while losers might include Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Exxon Mobil Corp. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two largest sources of money for U.S. home loans, stand to gain because Democrats have opposed stricter regulation for the companies. The party's push to lower prescription-drug costs might provide a lift to generic drugmakers, including KV. ``The momentum is trending the Democrats' way,'' said Gregory Valliere, chief political strategist at Washington-based Stanford Washington Research. ``The biggest impact by far would be the drug stocks. And the Democrats love Freddie and Fannie.'' ...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a4WGBgjq9Emo&refer=exclusive

Bush is due to visit the state of Iowa, in the country's heartland, to campaign with Republican Congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti. The visit comes amid a growing debate over whether the president should or should not be campaigning harder in the 7 November mid-term elections. Polls suggest that the Democrats may be on course to win control of one or both houses of Congress. Mr Bush is doing much less campaigning than he has in previous elections. The White House desperately wants the Republicans to win, to keep control of Congress - but many Republican candidates have made it plain that they do not see the president as a vote winner in their districts....http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6086922.stm

At least eight Iraqi police officers have been killed in clashes with gunmen in the Iraqi town of Baquba, north of Baghdad, Iraqi and US officials say. A Baghdad police source told the BBC that 25 officers were also injured, and a further 20 are unaccounted for. And in an attack on a checkpoint in the town six police died and 10 were hurt. Elsewhere, four marines and a sailor were killed in fighting in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, on Wednesday, the US military said. The fighting in Baquba has been going on for several hours and has spread through the town, the US military say. The Americans say they have not intervened so far, but the Iraqi army has been drafted in to help the police. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6088080.stm